The present invention relates to a silicone-based textile finishing agent or, more particularly, to a silicone-based textile finishing agent capable of imparting soft and slippery touch to a wadding of polyester or acrylic fibers without causing a disadvantage of yellowing and the like even when the wadding is brought under a condition of elevated temperatures.
As is well known, various types of textile finishing agents for softening and lubricating treatment are formulated with an organopolysiloxane composition or silicone and they are consumed in large quantities in the textile industry. Several different types of organopolysiloxane compositions are proposed in the prior art for the respective specific object of the textile finishing treatment including a composition comprising an amino compound and an epoxy-containing silicone or an epoxy compound and an amino-containing silicone as is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 48-17514, a composition comprising a latex-like emulsion of a dimethylpolysiloxane terminated at both molecular chain ends each with a silanolic hydroxy group containing an amino alkoxy silane and a metal-containing catalyst as is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 51-37996 for the finishing treatment of synthetic fibers such as polyester, acrylic and nylon fibers in which soft and slippery touch is essential and a composition comprising an amino-modified liquid organopolysiloxane for the softening treatment of woven and knit fabrics as is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 59-26707.
All of these conventional silicone-based textile finishing agents rely on the modification of organopolysiloxanes with amino groups for their effectiveness to impart softness and slipperiness to the textile materials so that they are unavoidably accompanied by a very serious disadvantage that the textile material finished therewith is subject to yellowing to have a greatly decreased value as commercial goods when the finishing treatment of the textile material has been undertaken at an elevated temperature or the finished textile is subsequently brought under a condition of elevated temperatures. Accordingly, it is eagerly desired in the textile industry to develop a novel textile finishing agent capable of imparting further increased softness and slipperiness to the textile materials finished therewith without the above mentioned disadvantages and problems in the prior art silicone-based textile finishing agents.